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Chapter 8. I Want to Be a Jellyfish
Teaser The Amars attend a meeting about Amamizukan's redevelopment but are unable to stand up for themselves. Tsukimi and Shuu encounter each other again, but he doesn't recognize her and a potential rival leaves her feeling small. Summary Chieko, the daughter of the Amamizukan's owner, learns that her mother plans to sell the place and the residents will have to move out in a year. Tsukimi is still fretting over the memory of Shuu having seen her in an ugly old tank top, wishing she could forget. During breakfast at Koibuchi mansion, Kuranosuke can't take his eyes off his brother, now that he knows Shuu's a virgin. He reads into every small thing Shuu does, as though his virgin status indicates hidden meanings. Tsukimi wants to forget, but can't stop thinking of Shuu. It feels like her heart is being wrung out, a pain she's never felt before. She wonders if that could mean that she's falling... but Tsukimi cannot complete the thought because Mayaya, Banba, Chieko, and Jiji open her door. There's a neighborhood briefing on the Amamizu Station Area redevelopment project, and they want to go together to protest. Once they all arrive, however, they immediately get nervous. A Stylish, professional-looking woman greets them and invites them in to the meeting room. She makes them all petrify, but they slowly follow her as she leads the way. The meeting room is full of people, but at the end of a mostly empty table sits Shuu Koibuchi. He gives the Amars a sideways glance, remembering them from Amamizukan. Like the rest of the Amars, Tsukimi is wet from the walk in the rain. Shuu still fails to recognize her. Tsukimi petrifies all over again at the sight of Shuu. Mayaya quickly realizes that the meeting is not an oppostion meeting, and Jiji agrees. Banba says that the five of them stick out. Chieko starts to explain to the woman who escorted them that they came from Amamizukan, and the woman gushes that they're owners and the meeting will help to explain the purchases and to definitely sit. The Amars force Tsukimi, as the youngest, to be the one who has to sit next to a business person, and Tsukimi is pushed into the seat next to Shuu. Her heart is racing and she tries to come up with something to say, before stuttering out an apology for the other day. She's thinking about the awkward moment in the hall, but he only remembers her from the hopping vampire incident and tells her without looking at her that it's fine. The woman who escorted the Amars in introduces herself as Shoko Inari, the representative from Global Create. Shuu looks straight ahead, attentive to the speaker, while Tsukimi looks at him. Mayaya hisses at Tsukimi to say something to the vixen from the demon world, but Chieko hushes her. It doesn't help as she, Banba, and Jiji all continue to chat, disrupting the presentation. From the microphone Inari asks them to please stop talking amonst themselves, causing everyone to turn and stare. Being the focus of attention makes Mayaya, Jiji, Banba, and Tsukimi all run for it after a couple seconds. Inari expresses concern from the podium that they're leaving, and Chieko also turns and goes. Standing the the rain, Mayaya curses Inari for making fools of them, and Banba tries to point out that Mayaya was being noisy. It falls on deaf ears, so Banba switches to being concerned about the umbrella she left behind. Jiji expresses concern about leaving Chieko behind, and offers to go get the umbrella. Tsukimi says she'll do it, as the youngest. After the meeting, Inari's assistant is complimenting her handling of it. She's already moved on, however, after having noticed Shuu there. Shuu is the nephew of the current Prime Minister, whose approval rating is plummeting. To her, that means there's potential for support to be given to the opposition in order to win the people's favor. She asks her assistant for her make up kit, and he balks. Taking down her hair and undoing the top of her blouse, she points out that there was a reason she was given the job. Tsukimi rushes back to the building where the meeting was, fretting over having been intimidated by a beautiful woman and Shuu's inattentivenss to her. She decides that he was paying attention to the beautiful woman instead. The thought causes her heart to hurt. Tsukimi reaches the building and stops short, seeing Shuu and and Inari sharing an umbrella as they walk in her direction. Shuu gives her a brief nod of acknowledgment as they pass. Tsukimi slowly walks home, wishing that in the next life, she's a creature that doesn't get to be either cute or not cute. She'd rather just be a jellyfish, rocking on the currents of the ocean. She returns to Amamizukan alone, where Kuranosuke is waiting for her. Inari's assisant mocks her method of trying to entrap a man, and she dismisses his criticism, stating that the old ways work best with a man like Shuu Koibuchi. Characters in Order of Appearance Quotes * * * * * Trivia References Category:Manga Category:Volume 2